Not Just a Genius in English
by StainedFingertips
Summary: When a teenager witnesses a kidnapping, the BAU must communicate with him to find out what happened. ONE-SHOT, Reid-centric  Contains an OC


**A/N: Happy Saturday! This was just an idea I had for a story. I taught myself sign language a little while ago, and it's very fascinating. The tile is inspired by a Criminal Minds episodeI was watching with Reid trying to speak Spanish, and Elle said he was just a genius in English.I'm still working on my other story, I just wanted to do a little One-Shot thing. I will update "The Blind Beauty of it All" in about an hour or so, so be on the look-out for an update thing. So, uhm, Enjoy! (:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.**

* * *

><p>A boy was rocking back and force slightly, trying to calm his nerves. Everything was silent. Well, for him at least. He knew that the FBI wanted to talk to him, but he still had no idea why. He probably wouldn't be any help to them, anyway; he couldn't talk to them. Not like a normal kid.<p>

Ignoring the chocolate bar and can of Coca-Cola on the metal table, he tried signing things to himself. With his pinky, pointer finger and thumb raised, his held it to his mouth and closed his eyes*. His mother always used to do this for him, and although he had no idea why, it seemed to comfort him. Like he had a little piece of his mother left. He glanced a the mirror and imagined his mother at him through that very mirror. He knew it was probably stupid and childish, but he didn't really care at this point.

**xCMx**

Looking in through the interrogation room window stood Aaron Hotchner, Spencer Reid, and Derek Morgan. All were FBI Agents, and all were extremely effective in their positions. Although all of them could profile like nobody's business, each had their own special talents. Aaron Hotchner, or Hotch, was a spectacular interrogator. He had such a passion for his job and he was a spectacular leader. Derek Morgan could kick down doors and tackle down any UnSub without much effort. Most people believed that he was just all muscles, but they were wrong; Morgan could get into the minds of any UnSub he came across. And last but certainly not least: Spencer Reid. _Dr._ Spencer Reid, that is. An awkward, twenty-five year old that has no idea who Lady GaGa is, but if you ask him any question, he'll give you the correct answer with a full-blown explanation that could last for hours upon hours. He was every team's dream. He was the BAU's boy genius.

But he was certainly not good with kids.

So when Hotch suggested he talk to the fourteen-year old teen inside the interrogation room, he was completely boggled. Whenever Reid tried to talk to children, they fled to the safety of their mother's arms crying out their tiny hearts. He had no idea why, though. He wasn't scary. Maybe they were just intimidated by him.

"Uhm, Hotch?" Reid asked, uncertain. It wasn't his position to question his superior, but if any one else asked him if he wanted to talk to a child, he would have them taken to therapy and have their brain tested.

"Reid?" Hotch asked, looking down at his subordinate.

"Are you, uh, s-sure you want me to... uh, go t-talk to him? I-I mean, Morgan probably wouldn't mind and, uh,-"

"Reid," Hotch started, looking into his subordinate's expressive eyes and micro expressions. Inner profiling was frowned upon in the BAU and each member swore they would never profile each other. But he was pretty sure any normal person could see that Reid was extremely nervous about going in to see the kid. He knew about the "Reid Effect", he named the effect Reid had on normal children and animals after all, but this was not a normal kid by any means. Reid could get into the kid's head; comfort him. Maybe he could even solve this case.

"You can do this, Reid. Trust me. I don't want to send Morgan in there. We need you in here for this one. You'll do fine," Hotch gave Reid an encouraging smile that he normally would save for Jack when he got home, but right now the young profiler needed the reassurance.

Reid gazed up shyly with big brown eyes and sighed.

"Yes, sir."

"You'll do great kid," Morgan grinned, patting Reid on the shoulder as he reluctantly opened the door and came face-to-face with a kid he would probably have in tears by the time this interrogation was over.

Looking up, the teenager noticed a tall, lanky young man slip into the door with a case file in his hand.

"H-Hello, Jeremy. My name's, uh, Dr. Spencer Reid. But, uh you don't have to call me Dr., or anything. You can, uh call me Reid. O-or Spencer. Whatever you prefer," Reid said rather awkwardly. He looked at the kid sitting at the table with his hands laid flat on the table, as if he were ready to use them at any second.

Seeing no reaction from the kid, Reid fully closed the door and approached the table. Looking at the untouched candy and soda can, he wondered if Jeremy didn't like candy or he was just shy.

"Uh, so do you like candy?" he attempted to talk to the kid, see if he could get any reaction from him, but Jeremy just sat there, his dirty-blonde hair falling into his icy blue eyes that were staring at his hands.

Reid wondered what happened to him to make him not want to talk to anyone.

_But what if he can't talk to anyone? _Something told him in his head, _What if he can't even __**hear**__ you?_

Something clicked inside his head, and he put his hands on the table across from Jeremy's. Blue eyes met brown, and _something just clicked._

Reid picked his hands up and began to 'talk' to Jeremy.

'J-E-R-E-M-Y, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU S-A-W T-H-E O-T-H-E-R NIGHT?' He signed fluently, letting his fingers do all the talking for once.

Jeremy looked up in awe at the young agent. He knew how to talk. But he knew how to talk like Jeremy. Without opening his mouth. Just like Jeremy. _Just like me_, he thought excitedly.

Picking his hands up from the table also, Jeremy signed back, his fingers going through the motions majestically.

'THERE WAS A MAN WHO T-O-O-K A GIRL. H-E J-U-S-T PICKED HER UP A-N-D T-H-R-E-W HER INTO A VAN.' Jeremy signed. Reid watched Jeremy intensely, watching his fingers tell the story.

'DO YOU K-N-O-W WHAT K-I-N-D O-F VAN I-T WAS?'

'BLACK. I THINK IT H-A-D FOUR DOORS.'

'GOOD. DID YOU SEE T-H-E MAN, J-E-R-E-M-Y?'

Jeremy nodded and launched into an explanation.

'IT WAS VERY DARK, BUT HE STEPPED BELOW A STREET LAMP A-N-D I SAW HIM. HE HAD BLONDE HAIR THAT CAME TO HIS SHOULDERS AND A LONG, BLACK COAT ON. HE WAS R-E-A-L-L-Y TALL, T-O-O. ABOUT YOUR HEIGHT. HE WAS K-I-N-D OF OLD. OLDER THAN YOU. LIKE, 35 MAYBE.'

'THANK-YOU, JEREMY. YOU DID VERY GOOD.'

Jeremy smiled shyly before picking up the chocolate bar and unwrapping it. Splitting the candy in half, he held out the chocolate to Reid.

"DO YOU LIKE CHOCOLATE?' He asked.

Reid smiled widely before taking the offered chocolate and signing back, 'VERY MUCH SO.'

**xCMx**

On the other side of the other side of the interrogation room stood a bewildered Hotch and Morgan. Morgan shook his head and grinned; _Who knew Reid knew sign language? _he thought. _Then again, how does Reid know half the things he does?_

Hotch chuckled softly before looking Morgan in the eyes and proclaiming,

"We were wrong; he's not just a genius in English."

* * *

><p><strong>*I had a friend a while ago whose mom did this to them. If you put your pinky, pointer finger and thumb up, it means love.<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**


End file.
